The 2011 FMR MAJOR Awards: Best Supporting Actress Nominees

Let the acting awards commence! Up first, the supporting actresses! Those ladies who did a great job, even though they didn’t have the spotlight all of the time. They have a scene here, a scene there. But when it’s said and done, you can’t deny they’re a big reason why you liked the movie so much.

Click through to see my nominees for Best Supporting Actress for 2011!!

Bryce Dallas Howard – “The Help” “Racist White Bitch” isn’t an endearing role. But Howard was awesome giving a face to the institutionalized racism of the privileged south. I realized just how fantastic a job she was doing when at one point in the movie my thought was “God, I HATE her!”

Melissa McCarthy – “Bridesmaids” McCarthy was this year’s Zak Galifianakis… she came out of nowhere to star in the year’s surprise hit comedy, and now everybody knows who she is. She put on a tour de force in “Bridesmaids”. There was no way to watch her and not laugh.

Octavia Spencer – “The Help” Spencer kept the performances in “The Help” high across the board. But she also got to add a lot of levity and humor to the proceedings. I’d never want to eat anything she cooked for me, but I’m glad I got to watch her work here!

Evan Rachel Wood – “The Ides of March” Wood easily held her own in a field of acting heavyweights. She had to play a young naïve flirt, then a hurt, vulnerable woman. From sexy to scared, she had a pretty wide range of ground to cover, and she covered it well.

Shailene Woodley – “The Descendants” This was such a credible, authentic turn as a grieving young girl acting out. She had a great range, she was funny, there were times I felt like she was acting circles around Clooney. I hope she’ll choose good roles, because I have the feeling she could be a great actress.

Who do you think did an awesome job this year? Did I leave anyone out? Is there anyone I put up there you think should be left out? Let me know what you think my mind is already made up I’m looking forward to considering everyone’s opinions as I go!

Hmm, I feel like I can’t really say anything in this category. I’ve not seen The Help nor The Descendants. I wasn’t actually that impressed with Evan Rachel Wood in The Ides of March, dunno, it just felt like a very good but standard performance. But I’m struggling with finding an actress I was impressed with this year.

Maybe PG is right, I should hold off til like late February next year. But then it’s a double edged sword. I mean, we’re already running into a lot of “I haven’t seen it”s and I’m staying pretty mainstream… that only gets worse if you go for the smaller, more obscure movies.

Unfortunately, that tends to be where the more remarkable acting performances are you know?

Octavia Spencer was good, but her character was way more of a cliche. Sassy funny black woman. Been there, done that. Bryce Dallas Howards’ character is probably harder to play without it become a caricature of racism. She played it well, without falling into the usual pitfalls of that type of character, so I’d give my vote to her.

Yeah, actually I saw you expect she might take home the supporting statue. I thought she was good. Hell, everyone in “the Help” was great. But Howard made my skin crawl. And I realized it later when I was thinking back on it. She wasn’t really given a role where that was all that “challenging”, but she sure as hell nailed it. LOL

Woodley floored me in the Descendants. Look for that movie to get an enormous amount of attention from me this week

I thought Howard was good, but at times it felt like she was playing a caricature. I also thought McCarthy played a pretty generic overweight vulgar character who’s only getting acclaim because we aren’t use to women in these roles. The other nominees are good choices.

On BDH. Maybe… I mean, its a character we’ve “seen before” its not exactly Lisbeth Salander. LOL. But she was completely credible… I thought she was believable, for sure.

“I also thought McCarthy played a pretty generic overweight vulgar character who’s only getting acclaim because we aren’t use to women in these roles”

I’m not even going to deny that that factors in. I mean, yeah… sure. But its certainly not JUST that. There’s that and then there’s the fact that she was hysterical at it. It probably IS the combination of the two getting her the recognition, but I think recognizing the “glass ceiling” aspect of the whole thing is fine to include as a component.

Both Spencer and Howard were immense in The Help, with Spencer just shading it in my book. Yet to see any of the other performances above. I’d also give an honorable mention to Keira Knightley for her work in A Dangerous Method, as well as Carey Mulligan in Drive. The former, in particular, surprised me, as I’ve never been all that enamoured with her acting talents.

I’m going to disagree with you on Mulligan in only ONE small regard, Rohan. I wouldn’t consider her role in that movie a “Supporting” role.😉 I know that’s where it seems to be getting “put”, but until studios start sending me screeners, I’m making THAT call myself. LOL

I WANT to see the artist. I do. People have been crapping all over Meloncholia though. I’ve heard some good things about a couple of the performances, but overall, the buzz has not made me want to check it out.

Jessica Chastain in The Help really had me! I am afraid I haven’t seen too many of the more recent releases due to theater release restraints. My city still hasn’t received The Descendants and others like.

You know on 50/50 a lot of people are bashing her! I think its her character there they cant stand though… I thought she did fine acting wise….

Chastain WAS good. I just felt like I didnt want to nominate the entire movie, so it really came down to a choice between her and Howard for me. Cause I’d be damned if I was going to leave out Davis or Spencer! LOL